Febdeeiok van patten



(No Model.)

P. VAN PATTEN. DEVICE, FOR MAKING BUTTON-MAKING MOLDS.

No. 257,587. Patented May 9,1882.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT rerun.

FREDERICK VAN IA'ITEN, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO DItlGGS,

' MOSHER & 00., OF SAME PLACE.

DEVICE FOR MAKING BUTTON-MAKING MOLDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,537, dated May 9, 1882,

(No model.)

To all whom "it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK VAN PAT- TEN, of Auburn, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Molds for Making Buttons of Plastic Material, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates mainly to metal molds or dies adapted for use in pairs, and between which a series of small sheets ora large sheet of plastic material is placed, compressed, and cut in circular pieces representing buttons.

Heretoforeithas been considered a slow and expensive operation to prepare a pair of these I 5 dies on account of the extreme care necessary to have the circular edge of each matrix forming the back of a button (on a plate containing perhaps a hundred of them) coincide exactly with the circular edge of each matrix forming the front of a button in the second plate of the pair, to avoid the formation of any fins upon the circular edge of the buttons.

The object of my invention is to produce molds for making buttons of plastic material, 2 in which the edges of each pair of matrices in said molds will exactly coincide, and the location and direction of the perforations in said buttons will be the same in each oneof a series, and to produce these molds ata much reduced COST.

My invention consistin combining with dies constructed to mold the front or back of buttons a perforated templetadapted to fit over each single-button matrix, a flat rod secured 3 5 to the back of said templet, and a mortised support and guide adapted to slide upon said flat rod and rest upon and against the edge of the die-plate.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in perspective the top and bottom die-plates of a mold used in forming a few buttons at a time. Fig. 2 represents in plan the under side of a portion of the die used in forming the frontof buttons. Fig.3 represents the 4 5 two dies of a button-mold in vertical section. Fig. 4. represent-s in perspective the transfer or guide plate resting upon the die-plate provided for forming the back of buttons. Fig. 5 represents the same in vertical section. Fig. 6 rep- 5o resentsin plan a portion of the bottomdieplate.

Fig. 7 reppesents in perspective the templet,

its guide, and support. Fig. 8 represents the same in vertical section and resting upon the bottom die-plate, the latter being also in section. Fig. 9 represents in transverse section one of the buttons formed with my improved molds.

In the drawings, A represents the die-plate used to mold the top of buttons, and B the dieplate for the bottom of buttons, each plate being provided with suitable cavities or matrices having the required form for that purpose. To have the edge of these matrices made to coincide exactly when brought face to face, I provide a transfer-plate, 0, generally of the same size as regards its surface as the plates Aand B. This transfer-plate is provided with a series of regularly spaced holes, 0, extending therethrough, having a diameter equal to or larger than the button intended to be produced. It has also two or more holes, cl, extending through it to receive dowel-pins cl, made to enter therein from either side of the plate. When the transfer-plate is thus completed itis placed upon and clamped to the plate 13, and corresponding dowel-pin holes are drilled through the latter plate. The same operation is repeated in regard to the plate A after reversing the plate 0 upon its face; orthe three plates may first be clamped firmly together, with the face of plate A toward the face of B and with the transfer-plate 0 between them, and the required number of dowel-pin holes cl drilled through the three plates at one operation. Dowel-pins are then prepared to fit theholcs d, and having the transfer-plate or drill-guide G secured therewith upon, for example, the bottom die-plate, B, as shown in Figs. at and 5, a suitably sized and shaped drill is passed through each hole 0 as a guide, and each shallow saucer-like matrix for the bottom of the buttons may thus be drilled in succession. Cavities b are also made between the matrices to receive any surplus of the plastic material. To complete these matrices they require two short pins, 0, to project into theplasticmaterialofbuttons,audform,according to theirlength, two perforations, either incomplete or complete, for the passage of the thread thatis to secure the button to a garment. It is important that these pins should be at equal distance from the center of each matrix, and as they are secured to the die-plate by drilling the latter, I use, to secure uniformity in the p size as to allow the rodto slide therein, so that latter, a peculiar]y-constructed templet, F, having its central portion convex to correspond with the concavity of each matrix, with a projectin g circular edge to overlap and fit the edge of said matrix. This templet is secured to a fiat guide-rod, F, fitting in a mortise of the guide or support F the mortise being of such the templet can cover any one of the matrices in the die-plate while the guide F or the edge of its groove f remains upon the edge of said plate. The parts F and F may also be united by means of a binding thumb-screw entering the top or bottom of the guide F and pressing upon the rod F. The templet F has two perforations,f, to guide the cutting end of thedrill used to perforate the bottom of each of the matrices, after which the pins e are driven and secured in the perforations thus made. The upper die-plate is completed in a manner analogous to the lower one. The upper plate being placed face upward, the same transfer-plate O is reversed and placed upon it and retained thereon by dowel-pins, its perforations 0 being used to guide asuitably-shaped drill, (the shape varying according to the predetermined form to be given to the face of buttons.) After each upper matrix has been drilled and polished a templet nearly similar to the templet F, but corresponding with the shape of the cavity, and having only one hole,f, in the center, is used to guide the end of a drill used to bore a hole in the center of said cavity for the purpose of and indented between the die-plates the end of the pin a on one side and the ends of the pins e on the other side will be about in the same plane and nearly touch. I prefer to have the two holes e in the button completed by drilling the very small amount of material in the center thereof to produce even holes with smooth edges but they may be otherwise produced at once by makingthepinse long enough to slightly project above the face of the mold B, as shown at 6 Fig. 1. They will then extend for a short distance alongside of the pin (0 and produce perforations extending through the buttons. I have shown only two pins, 0, for each matrix; but in some cases fourof them may be used.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim- The templet F, in combination with its rod F, secured to the back of the templet, and the mortised support and guide F adapted to slide upon said rod and against the edge of a rectangular plate, substantially as and for the purpose described.

FREDERICK VAN PATTEN.

Witnesses:

D. E. GLAPP, W. S. LEE. 

